The plural of compound nouns in French

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The plural of compound nouns

In compound nouns, verbs, adverbs and pronouns are invariable (we don't use their plural form).

Un laissez-passer → des laissez-passer (verbe + verbe : aucun accord) a pass → passes (verb + verb: no agreement)
Un va-et-vient → des va-et-vient a back-and-forth (movement) → back-and-forth (movements)
Un qu’en-dira-t-on → des qu’en-dira-t-on (pronoms + verbe : aucun accord) a piece of gossip → pieces of gossip (pronouns + verb: no agreement)

Nouns and adjectives, however, do change in the plural.

Un auteur-compositeur → des auteurs-compositeurs (nom + nom) an author-composer → author-composers (noun + noun)
Un cerf-volant → des cerfs-volants (nom + adjectif) a kite → kites (noun + adjective)
Un court-métrage → des courts-métrages (adjectif + nom) a short film → short films (adjective + noun)

When a compound noun is made up of verb + noun, the noun can be in the singular or the plural. Both spellings are accepted.

Un porte-serviette → des porte-serviette ou des porte-serviettes (selon que l’on considère que l’objet porte une seule ou plusieurs serviettes) a towel rail → towel rails (depending on whether they hold one or several towels)
Un abat-jour → des abat-jour (orthographe courante) , des abat-jours (orthographe acceptée) a lamp-shade →lamp-shades

Exceptions:
• The term demi (half) is also invariable when used in composite nouns (a word created using multiple words).

Une demi-journée → des demi-journées a half-day → half-days

• If the first word in the compound noun ends in -o (for example, anglo-, electro-, etc.) it is invariable.
Un Anglo-Saxon → des Anglo-Saxons

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